Improvement in fruit-pickers



W. W. RODGERS Fruit-Picker.

No. 210,634.. l atente d Dep. 10,1878.

N. FETERS, PHOTO-LITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PA'IEI\TT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. RODGERS, OF HARTLAND, VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRUIT-PICKERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210.634, dated December 10, 1878; application filed November 22, 1877. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. Ronenns, of Hartland, in the county of Windsor and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Improvemcntin Fruit-Gatherers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ref-. erence being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre spondin g parts in the several figures.

My invention relates to that class of fruitgatherers which are so constructed as to enable the fruit to be gathered from the trees by a person standing on the ground without the use of a ladder. This class of fruit-gatherers have previously been made having double jaws, to which are attached a sack or sleeve, for the purpose of detaching and receiving the fruit. I

My invention is intended to be an improvement upon such fruit-gatherers5 and consists of a tool having one immovable jaw and one movable jaw, of novel construction and devices for operating said jaw, also of novel construction, with the usual bag, sack, or sleeve, and pole.

My improvement-renders the gatherers of this class more simple, durable, and effective than any now made.

Figure 1 represents the front side of the gatherer closed. Fig. 2 represents the same side open. Fig. 3 represents the gatherer when turned one-quarter to the left, andopen. Fig. 4 represents the back side, or side opposite to' Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 represents the immovable jaw and slide which operates the movable jaw.

A is the pole, which is made of any desir able length, to enable the person gathering the fruit to reach the same from the ground; or the pole can be made in longer or shorter sections, and in such a way as to be spliced to any length, similar to the common fishingrod. The top end of this pole is provided with a strong metallic ferrule, O, for the purpose of giving it strength.

ais a metallicj aw, made in a semicircular form. One end of this jaw is made longer than the other, and is securely fastened into the top end of the pole A. b is another semicircular jaw, also metallic, made enough smaller than the jaw a to permit of its shutting inside the jaw a. This jaw bis, at one end, made witha curve or circle, 0. These two jaws are attached to each other on the back side by the screw cl, (seen in Fig. 4,) and on the opposite side by a similar screw, 6. (Seen in Fig. 1.) The screws are so adjusted as to permit the free action of the jaw Z).

J" is a metallic slide, made so as to slide up and down freely on the jaw a. This slide is attached to and operates upon the end of the jaw a, which is fastened to the end of the pole A. This slide, near its upper end, is provided with the slot or mortise g, Fig. 5, on the inner side. This mortise is made the proper size to receive the curved end a of the jaw b, and is also provided on the outside with a pro jection, h.

i is a metallic rod, which is made nearly the same length as the pole A. This rod is rigidly attached at the upper end to the projection h, and at its lower end to the ferrule j. This fee rule j is made to work up and down on the outside of the pole A. The pole A is provided with a groove, k, of a size proper to receive and permit the free working of the rod i.

B is a cloth bag, made of the proper size, and secured at the top to the outer edges of the jaws a and b, these outer edges being provided with holes, so as to permit the at tachment of the bag B. The bag is made nearly the length of the pole A, or of any length desired by the person gathering the fruit. Y

m is a metallic band or. strap, which eX tends around the outside of the bag B, for the purpose of supporting the bag B, and is securely attached to the end of the jaw a at the top end of the pole A by means of two rivets, n. This band can be dispensed with.

The operation of the instrument is as fo1= lows: The operator, taking the pole A in his hands, the instrument being closed, by mow ing the ferrule j upward, the rod '5, being attached at its lower' end to the ferrule j, and

at its upper end to the projection h, moves the slide f upward also. The curved end 0 of the jaw 11 being in the mortise g, when the slide f moves upward, the under end of the mortise g works against the lower edge of the curved detached fruit will then pass down through the bag B into the hand of the operator.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A fruit-gatherer having the following combination of parts, namely: the pole A, the ferrule 7', the rod 1', the slide f, with the mortise g, the jaw a attached to the pole A, the jaw b, with the curved end a, working in the mortise g, and the bag B, substantially as described.

WM. WALLACE RODGERS.

Witnesses:

WM. BATCHELDER, JOHN GRILLY. 

